Who else feels like 2020 and 2021 were two sides of the same coin? I don’t know about you, but I’m all pandemic-ed out. The day that I can scroll my feed and NOT see a single thing about Covid-19, Alpha, Delta, Omicron, Optimus Prime, or whatever they call the next incarnation of this thing, I will be SO happy.
But let’s be real – the pandemic, if you were paying attention (and live in circumstances that allowed you the privilege of space, time, and financial support in the form of supportive family or government assistance) gave us an opportunity to re-organise, re-prioritise, and re-set. I remember speaking to someone in mid-2020, when this thing happened and the “oh it’ll blow over in a week” had already turned into months already, and we agreed that we are a generation of people who have the privilege to start again. Don’t get me wrong, it was f-cken nuts, and there were days when I literally thought my head would explode. But as always, in hindsight, I see the greatest benefit to me as a human in 2022 of the pandemic years was the gift of change, and the acceptance of its inevitability.
I let go of the idea that anything was permanent, and that anybody (or the universe) owed me anything. I accepted that I needed to change, to be better, more self aware, less critical, and more open. I understood, perhaps for the first time, that even if things don’t happen when I want them to, that there is a greater purpose that I am a part of that may require a delay in my plans, to fulfil the greater good. I am less resentful, a little bit nicer (A LITTLE BIT), and definitely happier.
I’m clearly no less self involved, because the point of this article, the first of 2022 on Rogue La Vie, is to announce that change has come to this iconic Australian online lifestyle tome, and to give you an insight into the plans that Arrnott (the founder and EIC of Rogue La Vie) and I have for this site, and the online magazine launched last year.
After much discussion, thought, and consideration, we have decided that both formats will run side by side, with the website publishing our favourite things, with a focus on bringing together established luxury, small business, and brands and business owned by people of colour. The online magazine will contain lifestyle stories, immortalised forever in a carefully curated anthology once every 2 months.
We will also be opening up Editorial content to contributors – if you have thoughts, we want to hear them, and if it matches the ethos of our online community, we will share them to our 100,000 followers and subscribers. There is no story or thought too long or too short, and there is no right or wrong. Let us hear from you.
Change is inevitable. This is a new age for us as a publication, and we want you to go Rogue with us. We want to build a community of people who believe what we do – that stories matter, that people matter, and that the only way we can make it through the maze before us (post-pandemic) is if we take those steps together. We look forward to doing this with you.
